


The Question

by Pembrooke330



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: After the kiss, Breakups, Crush, F/M, Jeronica, Jughead x Veronica, Kevin Keller - Freeform, Riverdale, Veronica Lodge - Freeform, jeronica fic, jughead - Freeform, jughead and veronica, jughead jones - Freeform, liking each other, riverdale fic, secret, toni topaz - Freeform, veronica - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 00:23:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13752330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pembrooke330/pseuds/Pembrooke330
Summary: He occupied her mind way more than what she was comfortable with, but she had absolutely no control over it, no matter how hard she had tried.So she had finally given in, finally allowing herself to just feel what she felt. But now was the tricky part. Now she had to deal with the agony of wondering if Jughead felt at all the way she did.





	The Question

“Can we help you, Veronica?”

It hadn’t taken long for Toni Topaz to notice that Veronica Lodge had been hanging around the parking lot area where the Serpents parked their motorcycles during school at Riverdale High. 

She stuck out like a thorn on a rose, since it wasn’t like Veronica to be out in the parking lot, considering she usually got picked up by her father’s driver right in the front of the school. So seeing her hanging around in the Serpent area was highly unusual.

“Uh…um…no…I was just…taking a walk…getting some air…”

Toni looked over at Fangs and Sweetpea and smiled knowingly.

“Right…are you sure your visit to our sector doesn’t have something to do with Jughead Jones the Third?”

Veronica’s eyes widened with surprise. She hadn’t realized she’d been quite that obvious.

“Well…since you brought him up…” Veronica replied as she walked over to where Toni leaned against her bike.

Toni chuckled.

“What  _exactly_  are you wanting to find out?”

Veronica knew that Toni was enjoying this. As different as the two girls were, they had still managed to forge a good friendship with each other ever since Veronica had helped to get the Southside High students acclimated to Riverdale High.

Even though Veronica’s parents were planning on buying the land that Southside High was on, and Veronica had done her part to help, she had found genuine interest in the Southside kids. Their lives were unusual to her, and incredibly intriguing. And at times, she found herself envying their freedom and hard fought ways. It had made them wise and tough in a way that Veronica would never be.

And not only did she really like Jughead’s closest friends from the Serpent gang, they were also the three people who knew a whole other side of Jughead, who knew things that Jughead didn’t share openly with just anyone. Toni was his best friend, and she would certainly know things about Jughead that no one else would know. Starting with if Jughead had any feelings towards Veronica ever since they had kissed each other a few weeks earlier.

It had been up at Veronica’s parent’s lake house. They’d gone on a double date weekend. Veronica and Archie along with Betty and Jughead.

Things had gotten more heated than the hot tub water they’d been drinking and relaxing in when Veronica has kissed Jughead to help him feel he was finally even with Archie and Betty’s kiss that the two had shared the night the Black Hood was killed.

It was supposed to just be a quick, little thing to help them all get over the uncomfortable drama. Thing was, the kiss had only made everything worse.

No one could get over it, to the point that the two couples had broken up.

Veronica felt as though she should be more upset than she was, but if she had to be honest with herself, having Archie break up with her had come as more of a relief than anything.

It had released Archie from being obligated to her father and his shady business empire, and it had also allowed Veronica to finally get real with herself and admit something that was so incredibly strange to her. That she liked Jughead Jones. A lot.

He occupied her mind way more than what she was comfortable with, but she had absolutely no control over it, no matter how hard she had tried.

So she had finally given in, finally allowing herself to just feel what she felt. But now was the tricky part. Now she had to deal with the agony of wondering if Jughead felt at all the way she did.

Did he think about her too? Did he close his eyes and remember how their lips had felt against each other’s? So unbelievably perfect, so achingly good? Did he think about what it would be like to touch her? To make love to her? To sit side by side at Pop’s, sharing a basket of fries and a chocolate milkshake with her? Did he wonder how it would affect their parents, their friends? Did he wonder everything that could possibly be an issue between them, but not care because the thought of having her as his girl was enough to not give a fuck about what anyone else thought?

Because she did. He consumed her thoughts day in and day out. She couldn’t take it anymore. And she felt a feeling she rarely ever felt when it came to him. She felt fear. Fear that he would laugh right in her face if he knew how she felt. She was crazy about him, but terrified of him, all at once.

Veronica took a deep breath.

“I just…I just wanted to know…does he… does he ever talk about me?”

Toni smirked as she shook her head.

“So, Veronica, level with me. What you really want to know is, does he dig you the way you seem to dig him?”

Veronica could feel the flush in her cheeks as she nodded.

“Yes. That’s what I want to know.”

—

Jughead sat in the Blue and Gold office watching as Kevin Keller chewed on the end of a pen as he stared at his notebook. He had been going over his gossip column notes while Jughead had been pretending to proofread his latest article on the lack of school safety initiatives from the county school board.

But he had been unable to even glance at his article. Instead, he’d trying to find a way to casually bring up the topic of Veronica Lodge with her best friend.

“Jughead, would you just ask me whatever it is you are wanting to ask me instead of being super creepy over there?” Kevin said as he jotted down a few notes without looking up.

Jughead swallowed hard. He hadn’t even realized Kevin had noticed his apprehension. He didn’t give the guy enough credit.

“Not if you’re going to write about it in your trash rag.” Jughead replied, defensively.

It was bad enough that he wanted to talk to Kevin about Veronica, but he also had to worry about if Kevin would plan on spilling all the beans in the Blue and Gold too.

“You  _wish_  it were trash. But don’t worry, Jughead. Nothing you have to say would be even remotely interesting enough to put in my column.”

Jughead chuckled.

“Touché.” He replied as he sat down his rough draft and leaned forward, as if he had a major secret to tell that he didn’t want anyone else to hear.

“So spill it…what do you want?” Kevin asked as he put down his notebook and pen and looked closely at Jughead.

It wasn’t often the two guys ever spoke. In some small way, Jughead considered Kevin a friend, but the two were almost polar opposites, not to mention all the trouble Kevin’s dad had given Jughead and his own dad over the years. It had undoubtedly put a strain on his relationship with the newest member of the school paper writing team.

“I…I don’t want anything…necessarily. I just…I was wondering if Veronica…if she…you know…ever talks about how she feels about her breakup with Archie. Is she…okay?”

A grin from ear to ear formed on Kevin’s face.

“Damn, Juggy Jones, you couldn’t be more obvious if you tried.”

Jughead scoffed.

“Obvious about what?” He asked, immediately regretting having mentioned the exotic beauty who had been on his mind every minute of every day since the night they’d kissed in her family’s hot tub.

There was no getting around it. He had fallen for her. The girl he never would have given a second thought to, who wouldn’t have given a second thought to him either if she hadn’t been dating his best friend while also being best friends with his girlfriend.

If it hadn’t been for Betty and Archie, Veronica Lodge would likely not even know Jughead’s name. And he wanted to hate her for it.

But he couldn’t hate her. He couldn’t hate her even if he had attempted to force himself to. In fact, it was the opposite. He couldn’t get her out of his mind, and because of that, she had somehow gotten under his skin and into his heart. And it had all started from when her incredibly gorgeous mouth had claimed his own in a moment none of them had seen coming and one of them had been able to come back from.

The fallout from the kiss had been drama times ten. The fights he and Betty had over it. The fights he and Archie had over it. They were intense, painful, and unfair to everyone involved.

But when it came down to it, it was what it was and there was no getting around the way it had turned all four of their lives upside down.

He had tried his best to make amends with Betty and Archie, but he knew they both still needed time. In the meantime, his mind had been on Veronica constantly. To the point that he was now so desperate to know how she might feel about him that he was sitting with Kevin, hoping for any potential crumbs he could get.

Kevin chuckled.

“Obvious about how much you  _like_  her. You want to know if she likes you too, right?”

As much as Jughead loathed admitting it, he had no choice. He needed to know how Veronica felt more than he needed water or air.

Jughead nodded.

“Just fucking tell me, Keller.”

—

Veronica couldn’t get the smile off of her face, and when she saw Jughead walking down the hall towards her, there was no way she could play it cool.

“Okay, so you obviously know.” Jughead said with a laugh as he rolled his eyes.

“Know what?” Veronica asked, teasingly.

Jughead shook his head as he grinned down at his feet before looking back up at her.

“You know that I’m kind of crazy about you, Veronica Lodge.”

Veronica chuckled.

“Yeah, well, you know how I feel too.” She replied as she leaned against her locker door.

But Jughead shrugged.

“Feel about what, exactly?” He asked as he gave her a sly grin.

Veronica grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him to her so his lips were only inches from hers.

“About  _you_ , Jughead Jones.” She replied, her voice suddenly a purr as she gazed into his blue eyes.

Jughead smirked.

“Show me how you feel.” He growled, his hands clutching her waist as he gently pushed her against the locker.

His hot breath against her lips sent a shiver down her spine, and she barely had to move an inch in order to touch her lips to his.

The kiss was different this time. This time, there was an eagerness and urgency behind it, as if they didn’t have all the time in the world. But they had all the time they needed or wanted.

“ _Fuck_ …I’ve wanted that ever since the first time.” Jughead whispered in her ear as he peppered kisses down her neck.

“And I want more, Jughead. I can’t walk away from this again.” She sighed as she took his face in her hands before kissing him again, her tongue playfully grazing against his.

“Are you in this with me?” She asked him between kisses, not caring who was watching them.

All she cared about in that moment was if she would finally know what it would be like to have some peace in her heart, to stop feeling so lost, not knowing if she’d ever get a chance at being with the one guy she was already addicted to.

Jughead cupped her cheek in his hand and swept her hair back with the other as he looked into her yes.

“Yes, Veronica. I’m in.”

The End.

 


End file.
